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Monday, November 4, 2013

New Beekeepers With a Fall Swarm

Joan and Larry had some bees move into a box that they had on their porch. It was quite a surprise and their first thought was, "Who can take them away?" But after a little more thought they realized that the bees weren't that bad and maybe they should keep them. Luckily I know Joan from work and we had a Long Beach Beekeepers class happening so they decided to come and see if were up for it.

I was pretty sure that they could do it since they felt comfortable enough to move the box of bees on their own to the backyard even though the box started to fall apart! They were naturals and so open to the idea. We inspected the South 40 hive, I lent them some suits, a smoker and a deep 8 frame box.

In just a couple of days they had the bees moved into the new hive and had attached the new comb to the frames. Their son joined in the fun. Can't wait to hear what happens to this little fall swarm. It's a hard time for bees to establish themselves going into the fall but it can also be a good time to start beekeeping since their are fewer bees to work with. These seem to be pretty busy bees since they've already made some comb. Good luck! - roberta

4 comments:

Thank you Roberta! We were surprised and honored to see our photos on your blog! And we are grateful for your help! But, I am sad to report that our 'Fall Swarm' has left us!:'( I'm not sure if we messed with them too much or what.We'll hang onto your box and frames for a little while, in the hope that they will return!